Food Lover’s Guide to Beijing: 10 Stunning Cultural Restaurants
Beijing has more signature dishes than most other major cities, and there are hundreds of places to sample each one of them: from crispy duck to hotpots, noodles and broths. The Chinese capital’s dining scene is equally tantalising, with hole-in-the-wall venues serving fantastic street food and fine dining establishments with international twists. Here are ten of the best cultural restaurants in Beijing.
Temple Restaurant Beijing
This sleek, seductive restaurant is set in the grounds of an ancient Tibetan temple, though sadly the said sanctuary of tranquillity is now reserved for private functions. The Australian architecture is soothing and balanced with the spiritual setting, the service is exciting and the food almost always a delight. Small gifts are showered on diners from the moment they sit down, including marshmallows, mise-en-bouches and other surprises, to complement the European dishes such as lobster with smoked aubergine caviar and pan-fried foie gras with cepes purée. The boasting point for Temple Restaurant Beijing is the wine cellar, which is stocked and proffered with beauty and taste, with a mostly French focus, most particularly Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux.
Temple Restaurant Beijing, Songzhusi Temple, 23 Shatan Bei Jie, near Wusi Da Jie, Beijing, China, +86 10 8400 2232
Brian Mckenna @ The Courtyard
Chef Mckenna says of his latest Beijing-based restaurant project ‘cuisine is designed to be tasted’; therefore it is not to be devoured and in certain cases, for fear of breaking the artistry of the playful and masterful concoctions presented on a plate, it appears not to be eaten at all. The signature dessert is a chocolate terracotta warrior wading in chocolate soil under layers of mandarin-flavoured jellies and sorbets. Smashing open the chocolate replica in order to eat it is representative of the unnerving and eye-opening experience to be had at BMKTC, where only nine tables welcome guests under dim lighting. There is also a basement bar and smoking room in the same setting adjoining the Forbidden City, for those looking for an after-work cocktail in a low-key but sophisticated historical ambiance.
Brian Mckenna @ The Courtyard, Donghuamen Avenue, East Gate of The Forbidden City, Beijing, China, +86 10 6526 8883
Tiandi Yijia
What used to be a royal storeroom is now a unique dining venue for traditional Chinese cuisine with a modern twist, created by chef Zhang Shaogang. As you step through the imposing doors of Tiandi Yijia into the ultra-regal and fancy interior, gentle spice-infused aromas and ornate carvings, glass ceilings and attentive service greet you. The backdrop of the Forbidden City only adds to the flavour of the umami-imbibed dishes. In order to access the best views, there is a minimum spend and number of guests, but is worth it for a special occasion. All diners can order the house speciality though – the creamy and tantalising sake foie gras.
Tiandi yijia, 140 Nanchizi Dajie, west of Changpuhe Park, Beijing, China, +86 10 8511 5556
Da Dong
The crispy, light and melt-in-the-mouth roast duck served at Da Dong, which has four different locations, is one of the appetite-enticing highlights of Beijing. The modern and innovative Beijing chef, the eponymous Dong Zhenxiang, not only serves up succulent duck without fail to hundreds, or perhaps thousands, of hungry customers every day, but also cooks up elaborate and satisfying specialities such as blowtorched steaks, lobster noodles and other reworked Chinese dishes. Every guest is set up to be satisfied, with 300 on-site chefs to keep producing top-quality food around the clock.
Da Dong, 1-2/F, Nanxincang International Plaza, 22A Dongsishitiao, near Dongmencang Hutong, Beijing, China, +86 10 5169 0329, and other locations in Beijing
Haidilao
A steaming hotpot is an international dish of wellbeing and wholesome nourishment, andHaidilao, an Asian chain with branches all over China, makes of this often simple and homely dish a positive and memorable dining experience. The fragrant broth is served complete with a smile, a true desire to give the best possible taste experience, and free refreshing cloths, drinks refills and fruit bites as you wait. What makes the service even more satisfying is that the workers are also rewarded amply for their service, and the management of each branch truly values their staff.
Haidilao, 2A, Baijiazhuang Lu, Chaoyang district, Beijing, China, +86 10 6595 2982
Black Sesame Kitchen
The simple and satisfying pleasure of eating is only rivalled by being able to recreate the same experience with one’s own hands – and that is the service proposed by Black Sesame Kitchen. Founder Jen Lin-Liu’s aim is to transmit her passion for Chinese food to those willing to partake in an intimate food preparation session, and then an equally intimate but more relaxed dining session. By-appointment-only customers are invited into her purpose-built kitchen and dining room for a true Chinese cooking and eating experience, with the possibility of tailor-made menus and themes.
Black Sesame Kitchen, 3 Heizhima Hutong (inside Nanluoguxiang), Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, +86 1369 147 4408
Crescent Moon Muslim Restaurant
The gout du jour in this restaurant, which would constitute a vegetarian’s nightmare, is mutton, in all its varied permutations: skewered, stewed, spiced, sauced and then devoured by hungry eaters. Crescent Moon is a restaurant specialising in Xinjiang cuisine, from the northwest of the country. As this is a predominantly Muslim area, the menus usually have a heavy meat presence and aromatic infusions to jazz the mutton (or indeed fish) up. At Crescent Moon, chefs even stuff their bread with mutton, as no foodstuff escapes the meat treatment. Open from morning to night, this demonstrates a lesser-known side to Chinese cuisine, attesting to the inconceivable size of the country, and the amazing variety of Chinese cooking and tradition.
Red Capital Club
There are a spate of communist-themed restaurants springing up and gaining in popularity around the city, all harking back to the era of Chairman Mao and honouring his tastes, appearance, legacy and rule. Whilst the décor and the ethos will certainly not be to everyone’s liking, the themed evening is an unusual and highly cultural escapade which atRed Capital Club can feature Madame Mao’s limo, Mao’s favourite dish of bitter melon, and armoury and statues dotting the small interior with limited seating. As opposed to stemming from a Mao-raised and Mao-loving enthusiast, it was founded by an American fan of all things communist and Chinese.
Red Capital Club, 9 Dongsi Jiutiao, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, +86 10 8401 8886
Grandma’s Rabbit Head Restaurant (Shuangliu Laoma Tutou)
Rarely is there a restaurant with such a self-explanatory name. For this reason alone it could be worthwhile heading to Grandma’s for a traditional Chengdu dish of spiced rabbit head. It should also be recommended for its reasonable prices and taste bud-stimulating competences, its popular spice mix and the social draw of delving into a rabbit head amongst friends and watching as the evening unfolds much like the unconventionally presented animal’s head. Of course, gloves and apron are provided, but the company and the daringness of the diner provide the rest.
Kiev
Much as it appears an anomaly in a list of Beijing restaurants, Kiev is indeed in Beijing, and serves Ukrainian specialities in an atmosphere that transports diners, whatever their origins, to Eastern Europe. Customers are immediately greeted by a clean, warm air of Ukrainian opera music, sometimes live medleys from a traditional band, and without fail there are tables full of happy customers with Russian soup, baked fish or braised ox in cream in front of them, often topped off with a perfect finish: a shot of genuine Russian vodka. Chinese dishes can also be ordered for those less familiar and less daring.
Kiev, 13 Puhui Nanli, Yuyuantan Nanlu (west of the Millennium Monument), Haidian District, Beijing, China, +86 10 6828 3482
(By Claire Baker, from theculturetrip.com)
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